Part 7 (1/2)
We observed a great nue dead shells of Limnaea and Paludina, in the dry water-holes andthe scrub; so seemed to indicate this to be awe returned to the ca another bullock, I decided upon stopping at the rushy lagoon, until we had provided ourselves with a fresh stock of dried beef Accordingly, on the 17th February, we killed Mr Gilbert's bullock, which turned out a fine heavy beast, and gave us a large supply of fat meat and suet We had formerly been under the erroneous impression that fat meat would not dry and keep; and, consequently, had carefully separated the fat from the meat Some chance pieces, however, had shown us, that it not only dried and kept well, but that it was much finer than the lean meat We therefore cut up the fat in slices, like the lean; and it was found not only to ree The only inconvenience we had experienced in this process, was a longer detention; and we had to remain four days, (to the 21st February) before the provision was fit for packing On the 19th, imreasing our saddles and straps--a very necessary operation on a journey like ours, where every thing is exposed to the dust, and a scorching sun--Charley left the camp, and did not return before the afternoon He had frequently acted thus of late; and it was one of the standing co, whilst ere kept waiting for our horses and cattle As I was determined not to suffer this, after his late misbehaviour, I reprimanded him, and told hiuilty of such conduct Upon this, he burst out into the e, and threatened ”to stopit, therefore, necessary to exercise my authority, I approached hiave me a violent blow on the face, which severely injuredtwo of my lower teeth; upon which my companions interfered, and manifested a determination to support me, in case he should refuse to quit us; which I co away, Brown told hi manner, that he would come by and bye and sleep with him I was, however, determined that no one within the camp should have any communication with him; and therefore told Brown, that he had either to stop with me entirely, or with Charley He answered that he could not quarrel with hi; and, when I replied that, in such a case, he should never return, he said that he would stop altogether with Charley, and walked off If I had punished these fellows for their lateso now: but full of their own i that I could not proceed without the my absence from the camp, had an intervieith the natives, whowhich were two fine calabashes which they had cleaned and used for carrying water; the larger one was pear-shaped, about a foot in length, and nine inches in diameter in the broadest part, and held about three pints The natives patted his head, and hair, and clothing; but they retired immediately, when he afterwards returned to them, accompanied by Mr Calvert on horseback
We started, on the 21st February, froe; the day was very hot, and the heat of the rotten ground was intense Our little terrier, which had so well borne for was only saved by Mr Calvert's carrying him on his horse It was a day well calculated to i and walking, between finding aout for food for the, Mr Roper stopped behind until Brown came up to him, and expressed his desire to rejoin h of his banishment and bush life; and, before sunset, he arrived quite exhausted at our caed me to pardon him, which I did, under the former condition, that he was to have no farther coly assented
Feb 22--On a ride with Mr Gilbert up the river, we observed several large reedy holes in its bed, in which the Blackfellows had dug wells; they were stillabout theht miles north-west froht of cockatoos again invited us to soe bastard-box flats lie between North Creek and the river About four miles from the caes and isolated hills are visible, which are probably surrounded by plains Wherever I had an opportunity of exa the rocks, I found sandstone; flint pebbles and fossil-wood are in the scrub and on the ht, on my return, I had to pass Charley's camp, which was about a hundred yards from ours He called after an to plead his cause and beg my pardon; he excused his sulkiness and his bad behaviour by his te; and tried to look most miserable and wretched, in order to excitealone under his tree, during als which he had received from the natives I pitied him, and, after some consultation with my companions, allowed hiive up his tomahawk, to which he most joyfully consented, and pro I should require His spirit was evidently broken, and I should probably never have had to coent acted upon him
Feb 23--I moved on to the water-holes, which I had found the day before, and encamped in the shade of a Fusanus The latitude was observed to be 22 degrees 6 minutes 53 seconds
Feb 24--Mr Gilbert and Brown acco upon an excursion At about a e creek, apparently from the southward, joined the river, and water was found in a scrub creek four miles from the camp, also in wells htthe scrub Here the birds were very nuhts of the blue-ed parrots were seen; Mr Gilbert observed the fe birds, which ret to leave this spot so favourable to his pursuit He returned, however, to bring forward our camp to the place, whilst I continued my ride, accompanied by Brown Several creeks joined the river, but water was nowhere to be found The high grass was old and dry, or else so entirely burnt as not to leave the slightest sign of vegetation For several ed by a fire which had swept through it; and the whole country looked hopelessly wretched Brown had taken the precaution to fill Charley's large calabash ater, so that ere enabled toheat of the day
Towards sunset we heard, to our great joy, the noisy jabbering of natives, which prohbourhood of water I dismounted and cooeed; they answered; but when they saw s as they could and crossed to the opposite side of the river in great hurry and confusion When Broho had stopped behind, came up to me, I took the calabash and put it to my mouth, and asked for ”yarrai, yarrai” They answered, but their intended infor to approach us Their cast some small Casuarinas Their numerous tracks, however, soon led h reeds, where we quenched our thirst My horse was veryabout the water After filling our calabash, we returned to the cas which they had left behind; we found a shi+eld, four calabashes, of which I took two, leaving in their place a bright penny, for pay acacia-gu honey; a fire-stick, neatly tied up in tea-tree bark; a kangaroo net; and two tomahawks, one of stone, and a smaller one of iron, made apparently of the head of a hammer: a proof that they had had some communication with the sea-coast The natives had disappeared The thunder was pealing above us, and a rush of wind surprised us before ere half-a-mile from the camp, and we had barely time to throw our blanket over some sticks and creep under it, when the rain came down in torrents The storhtning seemed to be everywhere When the rain ceased, we contrived to elatine-soup At eight o'clock the moon rose, and, as the weather had cleared, I decided upon returning to the camp, in order to hasten over this dreary country while the rain-water lasted The frogs werein the water-holes which I had passed, a few hours before, perfectly dry and never were their hoarse voicesto me But the thunder-storm had been so very partial, that scarcely a drop had fallen at a distance of three ularly partial distribution of water, which I had before noticed at Comet Creek We arrived at the ca of the 25th February, I led my party to the water-holes, which a kind Providence see us over that thirsty and dreary land Our bullocks suffered severely fros poured out their contents; and every thing seemed to dissolve under the influence of a powerful sun
The weather in this region may be thus described: at sunrise so the first hours of the , with northerly, north-easterly, and easterly breezes; between ten and three o'clock theheat prevails, interrupted only by occasional puffs of cool air; about two o'clock PM heavy clouds form in all directions, increase in volume, unite in dark masses in the east and west, and, about five o'clock in the afternoon, the thunder-storust of wind is very violent, and the rain soht, and at other times tremendous, but of short duration; and at nine o'clock the whole sky is clear again
In the hollows along the Isaacs, we found a new species of grass froe tufts, in appearance like the oat-grass (Anthistiria) of the Liverpool Plains and Darling Downs; it has very long broisted beards, but is easily distinguished fro stem is very sweet, and much relished both by horses and cattle
Feb 26--I set out reconnoitring with Mr Gilbert and Charley We found that the effects of the thunder-storm of the 24th extended very little to the north and north-west, having passed over froes covered with scrub, and cut through by deep gullies, stretching towards the river, which became narrower and very tortuous in its course; its line of flooded-gum trees, however, became more dense Within the reedy bed of the river, not quite five miles from the camp, we found wells of the natives, not a foot deep, but amply supplied ater, and, at four miles farther, we came to a water-hole, in a small creek, which had been supplied by the late rains; we also passed several fine scrub creeks, but they were dry About ten miles froht hand of the river, full of water Its bed was overgroith reeds, and full of pebbles of concretions of limestone, and curious trunks of fossil trees, and on its banks a loose sandstone cropped out Here we found the skull of a native, the first ti our journey Near the scrub, and probably in old ca places of the natives, we frequently saw the bones of kangaroos and emus I mention this fact in reference to the observations of American travellers, who very rarely met with bones in the wilderness; and to remark, that the climate of Australia is so very dry as to prevent decomposition, and that rapacious ani a sufficiency of living food
On the 25th there were thunder-storht was cloudy, and we had so of the 26th, but the weather cleared up about ten o'clock; cuht thunder-storms were observed both in the east and west I found a shrubby prickly Goodenia, about four or five feet high, growing on the borders of the scrub
Feb 27--Mr Gilbert, who on the ca so, and I had consequently to return the whole distance The interruption was caused by our bullocks having gone back several enerally very nice in this particular
The natives had, in my absence, visitedthes, and waddies
Mr Phillips gave them a medal of the coronation of her Majesty Queen Victoria, which they seehly They were fine, stout, well ; but a few old women, hite circles painted on their faces, kept in the back ground They were much struck with the white skins of my companions, and repeatedly patted the water were not understood; but they seeo down the river
We started at noon to Skull Creek, which, in a straight line, was fourteen miles distant, in a north by east direction Loose cu the whole forenoon, but rose in the afternoon, and occasionally sheltered us fro sun At four o'clock two thunder-storms for above us, poured down a heavy shower of rain, which drenched us to the skin, and refreshed us and our horses and bullocks, which were panting with heat and thirst Our stores ell covered with greasy tarpaulings, and took no harm
Feb 28--Successive thunder-storms, hich this spot seemed more favoured than the country we had recently passed, had rendered the vegetation very luxuriant The rotten sandy ground absorbed the rain rapidly, and the young grass looked very fresh The scrub receded a littleits banks
The scene was, therefore, most cheerful and welcome Mr Gilbert and Charley, who had made an excursion up the river in search of water, returned with the agreeable information that a beautiful country was before us: they had also seen a ca had any intercourse with the, and beca the day, with easterly and north-easterly winds As soon as our capricious horses were found, which had wandered h a dense Bricklow scrub, in search of food and water, we started and travelled about ten s of the river to the left The character of the country continued the same; the same Ironbark forest, with here and there some remarkably pretty spots; and the sa the river At about nine miles frorees 42 e of sandstone hills; beyond which the country opens into plains with detached patches of scrub, and doith ”devil-devil”
land and its peculiar vegetation, and into very open forest The river divides into two branches, one co from the eastward, and the other fro our journey, and, by the time we reached the water-hole which Mr Gilbert had found, et to the skin
In consequence of the additional fatigues of the day, I allowed soht ago, soust on the fat of our stews, and had jerked it contemptuously out of their plates; noever, every one of us thought the addition of fat a peculiar favour, and no one hesitated to drink the liquid fat, after having finished his meat This relish continued to increase as our bullocks becaer to exahtered beast, as the natives, whose practice in that respect we had formerly ridiculed
As I had made a set of lunar observations at Skull camp, which I wished to calculate, I sent Mr Roper up the north branch of the Isaacs to look for water; and, on his return, he ience, that he had found fine holes of water at about nine or ten miles distant, and that the country was still ame, particularly emus
CHAPTER VI
HEADS OF THE ISAACS--THE SUTTOR--FLINT-ROCK--INDICATIONS OF WATER--DINNER OF THE NATIVES APPROPRIATED BY US--EASTER SUNDAY--ALARM OF AN OLD WOMAN--NATIVES SPEAKING A LANGUAGE ENTIRELY UNKNOWN TO CHARLEY AND BROWN--A BARTER WITH THEM--MOUNT M'CONNEL
I was detained at this place froo, which I had brought on by incautiously and, perhaps, unnecessarily exposing myself to the weather, in my botanical and other pursuits On the 4th March I had sufficiently recovered to mount my horse and accompany my party to Roper's water-holes Basalt cropped out on the plains; the slight ridges of ”devil-devil” land are covered with quartz pebbles, and the hills and bed of the river, are of sandstone formation